BRAKE FINES INCREASE FOR TRUCKERS

Truck drivers should be aware Highway Traffic Officers will be on the lookout

for rigs with defective brakes on International Brake Check Day, Sept. 6.



Drivers will be fined $100 for each defective brake. They'll pay an additional

$150 if more than 25 per cent of the vehicle's brakes are defective. The new

fine fees were brought in August 1 and can run into several hundreds of

dollars. They are a big increase from the previous flat fee of $100, issued

regardless of how many brakes were defective or how bad they were.



Highway Traffic Officers with Saskatchewan Highways and Transportation will be

on-site at the North Portal, Regway and Lloydminster border crossings, working

in co-operation with other governments and police forces to check truck brakes

September 6th. Roadside enforcement offices across Canada and the U.S. will

conduct 16 hours of random brake system checks on commercial trucks that day.



International Brake Check Day is sponsored by the Commercial Vehicle Safety

Alliance (CVSA) and the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators

(CCMTA). It promotes awareness of the need for drivers and trucking companies

to make sure their vehicles' air brakes are properly adjusted and free from

defects.



Data from a May 3 brake check day shows 14 per cent of trucks inspected in

Canada and 20 per cent of trucks inspected in the U.S. were pulled off the road

due to brake defects. Large trucks take twice the distance to stop as cars in

ideal conditions, even with the brakes working at 100 per cent.





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For more information, contact:



John Meed, Manager

CVSA Program

Highways and Transportation

Regina

Phone: (306) 787-4133